Company fined for endangering workers

A pizza manufacturer in Hounslow has been prosecuted for endangering workers after ignoring calls to make safe an unprotected and dangerous first floor doorway.

Capri Foods Ltd, of Worton Hall Industrial Estate, Worton Road, Isleworth, failed to act on an Improvement Notice served by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) despite a continuous risk of a serious fall from height.

City of London Magistrates heard the doorway, which stood approximately four metres above the ground, was used to load and unload goods from a forklift truck operating in a yard outside. However, it was kept open even when the forklift was parked up, with nothing in place in terms of railings or barriers to stop employees falling through it and onto the concrete below.

HSE flagged the hazard during a visit to the factory on 29 July 2009, serving a notice that required improvements to be made by 1 November 2009. A follow-up visit on 9 December 2009 showed nothing had changed, with an HSE inspector observing an employee leaning out of the doorway to empty a bowl of water.

Capri Foods Ltd, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 in connection to the non-compliance. The company was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £2,607 in costs.

After the hearing HSE inspector Steve Kirton commented:

“Falls from height remain one of the biggest dangers in the workplace, accounting for a fifth of all deaths and scores of serious injuries in the food manufacturing sector alone according to our latest official figures.

“So it’s incredibly frustrating to see a company like Capri Foods blatantly ignoring calls to protect employees when such a clear and obvious risk has been identified. Fortunately no-one was hurt on this occasion, but the consequences of falling through that door could have been horrific.”